Once comfortable on stage in front of thousands, Joely
Crockett is now mortified at the thought of walking—or rolling—down the aisle
at her sisters’ wedding. Scarred and wheelchair-bound, the former beauty queen
has lost more than the ability to walk—she’s lost her fire. But when one
handsome, arrogant guest accuses her of milking her injuries and ignites her
ire, Joely finally starts to feel truly alive again, and soon it’s impossible
for her to resist her heart’s desire.

Alec Morrissey knows a little something about loss. A
famous rodeo cowboy before he was injured in Iraq, he’s managed to create
something of a normal life, even if it’s not the one he always imagined.
Encountering stunning but damaged Joely, he sees a kindred spirit who can learn
from his mistakes.

As these two healing souls begin to fall in love under
the Wyoming stars, they must discover if they are willing to give in to the
tragedies of life or fight for a future together.

The
contact with Alec’s strong, long-fingered hand didn’t do anything to quell the
annoyance dancing in her stomach. Or was it attraction? Or just a very long
time since a man had taken her hand?

He tugged
gently and braced his feet so she could stand and get her solid leg beneath
her.

Her
eyes came level with his tie. That put him at roughly six feet, she thought
inanely, although, in truth, no thoughts but
inane ones filled her head. Up close his eyes shone a dark, rich amber, and his
full, upturned lips made him appear prone to smiling. His hat looked so natural
on him he might well have been born with it on.

He held
out his right elbow. “Just think of me as a human hiking stick.”

He
hadn’t said “cane.” He hadn’t said “crutch.” She offered a tentative, grateful
smile, took a deep breath, and nodded.

What
could have been horribly awkward turned out to be an easy partnership. Alec
seemed to know instinctively how to step where she needed him for support, and
his arm offered a perfect grip that she could lean into as firmly as she
wanted. It took a dozen or so strides to get the coordination right, but slowly
she figured out how to step firmly with her right leg and use Alec’s weight to
help swing and step quickly with her left. She’d walked like this with
crutches, but this felt so quasi normal—she almost enjoyed it.

Almost.

They
came to the stairs, and she froze. A flat path was easy. Going up stairs was
awkward but doable. But going down threw her weight forward, and she didn’t
have the strength or balance to keep from pitching headfirst down the flight.

“We’re
doing great,” he said. “There are only six.”

“We’re doing fine,” he’d said. She didn’t
know this man from any random person, and yet he knew how to speak as if they’d
been doing this forever.

“I
really should have a body on the other side, too,” she admitted reluctantly. “I
suck at stairs.”

“Here’s
the deal.” He removed her hand from his elbow and held it, then wrapped his
right arm loosely around her waist. “It’s your balance that’s got you spooked.
You haven’t practiced with it, but your left leg is strong enough. Trust yourself. You know the drill: bad leg—”

“First,”
she finished. “Yes. But it doesn’t hold my weight.”

“Eventually
it will, but for now we’ll step together, and you lean into me when you’re
using that leg.”

How did
he know so effortlessly what to do? He’d probably had plenty of bangs and
bruises when he’d been on the rodeo circuit—maybe this was second nature for
him.

They
navigated the stairs like they’d been doing it for years. She’d never have made
it on her own, and such an exercise had been clunky at best with a physical
therapist. When she stood at the bottom without aid of a crutch or two side
walkers, her satisfaction had to rival that of any successful mountain
climber’s.

Lizbeth Selvig lives in Minnesota with her best friend
(aka her husband), and a gray Arabian gelding. After working as a
newspaper journalist and magazine editor, and raising an equine veterinarian
daughter and a talented musician son, she won RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart®
Contest in 2010 with her contemporary romance The Rancher and the Rock Star. In
her spare time, she loves to hike, quilt, read, horseback ride, and spend time
with her new granddaughter. She also has four-legged grandchildren—more than
twenty—including a wallaby, two alpacas, a donkey, a pig, a sugar glider, and
many dogs, cats, and horses (pics of all appear on her website
www.lizbethselvig.com). She loves connecting with readers—contact her any time!

2 comments:

Hi Tiffany!Just wanted to thank you so much for featuring my book today. It's been fun perusing your site and finding some new reads for myself. I appreciate all you do for authors and readers. Thanks again!Liz Selvig